Fire-resistant mattress having combustible material compartmentalized between fire-resistant layers

ABSTRACT

A fire-retardant mattress that compartmentalizes bedding material between layers of fire-resistant material. The mattress includes an inner support compartment, a first layer of fire-resistant material adjacent to at least one side of the inner support compartment, at least one layer of cushioning material adjacent to the first layer of fire-resistant material, and a second layer of fire-resistant material adjacent to the at least one cushioning layer, the second layer of fire-resistant material distal to the first layer of fire-resistant material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S.application Ser. No. 10/934,971, filed Sep. 3, 2004, entitled“Fire-Resistant Mattress Having Combustible Material CompartmentalizedBetween Fire-Resistant Layers,” which is incorporated, in its entirety,herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to mattresses and, in particular, to afire-retardant mattress and a method for manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Since at least the late 1960s, mattress manufacturers have beenconcerned with fires in mattresses that have been associated withbedroom fires. During this time, some 30,000 bedroom fires wereattributed to mattresses as most of the fires were determined to becaused by cigarette ignition of the mattress resulting from peoplesmoking in bed. An additional 22,000 fires were attributed to open flameignition of the mattress. Given the large number of fires attributed tocigarette smoking, federal standards were introduced in an attempt tolimit the spread of fires that originated on a mattress.

In the late 1980s, open flame ignition surpassed cigarette ignition asthe main cause of mattress fires. Later it was determined, throughseveral studies, that the primary source of bedroom fires was theburning of bedclothes located on top of the mattress. Furthermore, itwas found that the majority of these fires were caused by childrenplaying with ignition sources such as lighters, matches and candleswhich then ignited the top-of-the-bed accessories such as sheets,blankets and pillows.

As a result of these surveys, studies were conducted to improve theunderstanding of mattress fires. These studies led to the development ofa test apparatus that could accurately and consistently simulate theburning bedclothes ignition source.

The tests involved placing a mattress/foundation on top of a steeltwin-sized bed frame which, in turn, rested on a cement fiberboardsurface that formed the bottom of a catch pan. A pair of gas burners wasdesigned to mimic the thermal impact of burning bedclothes. One burnerwas placed so as to impinge on the top of a mattress surface while thesecond impinges nearby on the mattress side. The flame generated by theside burner was allowed to burn for 50 seconds while the flame from thetop burner burned for 70 seconds. The fires generated by these burnerswere monitored and it was observed that a typical mattress reachedflash-over value in approximately three minutes.

As a result of these studies, California established a regulation(Technical Bulletin 603) that required that a fire on a mattress couldnot exceed 25 mega joules of heat in the first 10 minutes of the fire,or a peak rate of heat release of 200 kW over a 30-minute period. Aproblem associated with reaching this criterion is that it is difficultto place a fire-retardant barrier on the outside of the mattress as thetreatment that allows a barrier to be fire retardant makes the mattresssurface hard and uncomfortable to the touch. For this reason, the outerlayer of a mattress is typically some type of quilt or ticking materialthat burns fairly easily and is considered sacrificial material.

In residential bedroom fires, three different types of people are atrisk from the fire. The first of these is the person in the room inwhich the fire originates and is intimate with the fire. This personwould normally be someone on the mattress. The second person is in theroom in which the fire originates, but is not intimate with the fire.This could be someone sitting in a chair in the bedroom in which themattress catches fire or a child who started the fire and is hidingbehind a dresser. The third person is someone who is not in the room inwhich the fire originates and is also not intimate with the fire. Thiswould include someone located in another room in the house in which themattress catches fire.

The regulation promulgated in Technical Bulletin 603 provides a valuable30-minute window for the people at risk to detect and escape a fire.Furthermore, the low-peak-heat-release limit will substantially delaythe growth and intensity of a fire. Combined, these requirementssignificantly reduce the risk of rapid flashover to other parts of theresidence and thus substantially expand the opportunity for consumers toescape a bedroom fire.

By reducing the size and growth rate of a fire, it is possible to reducebed fire casualties by one-half to two-thirds. This is because extratime to escape the residence is provided, particularly for thoseindividuals who are not intimate with the fire. Furthermore, additionaltime is also provided for a person on the mattress to escape with onlyisolated burns, if any.

In practice, mattress manufacturers follow either or both of twoapproaches to fire risk reduction: (a) reduce the likelihood ofsustained ignition and (b) mitigate the consequences of an ignition. Tohelp achieve these goals, typical fire-resistant mattresses have afire-resistant barrier located near the outer layer of the mattress,with the outer layer being made of a quilt or ticking material. Thisfire-resistant barrier works most of the time; however, should thebarrier fail, there is no way of preventing the fire from spreadingrapidly through the mattress to the inner support compartment, therebycausing a flashover and engulfing the entire mattress in flames. Forthis reason, the ability to slow the spread of fire that has breachedthe first fire-resistant barrier would be an important improvement inthe art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a fire-resistant mattress having materialcompartmentalized between fire-resistant layers that significantlyreduce fire growth of the mattress. In one embodiment, thefire-resistant mattress is comprised of an inner support compartment, afirst layer of fire-resistant material adjacent to at least one side ofthe inner support compartment, at least one layer of material adjacentto the first layer of fire-resistant material, and a second layer offire-resistant material adjacent to the at least one layer, the secondlayer of fire-resistant material being distal to the first layer offire-resistant material.

In still another embodiment of the invention, the inner supportcompartment has six sides, a first layer of fire-retardant material isadjacent to each side of the inner support compartment, at least onelayer of material is adjacent to the first layer of fire-retardantmaterial on each side of the inner support compartment, and a secondlayer of fire-retardant material is adjacent to the at least one layerof material on each side of the inner support compartment distal to thefirst layer of fire-retardant material.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the mattress is comprised ofan inner support compartment, a fire-resistant insulation layer having afirst side and a second side, with the first side being adjacent to atleast one side of the inner support compartment, a first layer ofmaterial being adjacent to the second side of the fire-resistant layer,a quilt layer having a first side and a second side, with the first sideof the quilt layer being adjacent to the first layer of material distalfrom the fire-resistant layer, a second layer of material being adjacentto the second side of the quilt layer, a second fire-resistantupholstery layer adjacent to the second layer of material and distalfrom the quilt layer, and an outer ticking layer adjacent to the secondfire-resistant layer.

The invention also includes a method for manufacturing a fire-resistantmattress.

The fire-resistant advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription of the invention provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, cut away view of a portion of a mattressconstructed in accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a perspective, cut away view of a portion of one embodiment ofa mattress made in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective, cut away view showing a top portion of amattress constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a single-sided mattressmade in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a double-sided mattressmade in accordance with the principles of the invention showing theperimeter of the mattress protected with combustible materialcompartmentalized between two layers of fire-resistant material.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a single-sided embodiment of a mattressmade in accordance with the principles of the invention showing theinner support compartment filled with foam.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a double-sided embodiment of a mattressmade in accordance with the principles of the invention showing theinner support compartment filled with foam and the perimeter two layersof fire-resistant material compartmentalizing the combustible material.

FIG. 8 is a perspective, cut away view showing a top portion of amattress constructed in accordance with the invention, the mattresshaving a plurality of combustible layers of material between the twolayers of fire-resistant material.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a pillow-top mattress.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 2-7 show the invention which is directed to a fire-resistantmattress 10 that uses layers of fire-resistant material 14, 18 tocompartmentalize material 16 within the mattress 10 so as to delay andpossibly prevent the mattress 10 from becoming fully engulfed in flamesas the result of the mattress 10 catching on fire.

As shown in FIG. 1, conventional fire-resistant or fire-retardantmattresses 100 include a single fire-resistant layer of material 17.This fire-resistant layer 17 is located near, if not directly beneath,the outer layer 19 of the mattress 100. In the event of a mattress firecaused, for example, by the bedding (not shown) on top of the mattress100 catching on fire, the flame burns through the combustible outerlayer of quilt or ticking 19. Although the fire-resistant layer 17 worksmost of the time, should the flame breach (i.e., burn through) the layer17, there is no additional protection or barrier to prevent the firefrom rapidly spreading through the rest of the mattress 100, therebyresulting in a high rate of combustion of the mattress 100. In stillanother embodiment of the prior art the outer layer 19 may itself befire resistant. This eliminates the need for a second fire resistantlayer such as 17 in FIG. 1.

For purposes of this invention, flashover is that point in time wherethe articles burning in a room generate enough energy to cause all roomingredients to burn essentially simultaneously. This point is normallyaccepted to be about 1,000 kW in a regular sized bedroom. Furthermore,for the purposes of this invention, the terms fire resistant and fireretardant are used interchangeably.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of the invention in which the fire-resistantmattress 10 is comprised of an inner support compartment 12, a firstlayer of fire-resistant material 14 adjacent to at least one side 13 ofthe inner support compartment 12, at least one layer of material 16adjacent to the first layer of fire-resistant material 14, and a secondlayer of fire-resistant material 18 adjacent to the at least one layer16, the second layer of fire-resistant material 18 being distal to thefirst layer of fire-resistant material 14. This use of fire-resistantlayers of material 14, 18 on each side of the layer 16 creates acompartment 20 that helps to contain the fire from spreading throughoutthe mattress 10 should one of the fire-resistant layers 14, 18 bebreached.

The at least one layer of material 16 that is compartmentalized betweenthe fire-resistant layers 14, 18 can be a combustible material as wellas a cushioning material. Furthermore, the layer of material 16 may becombustible material that has been treated with a fire-resistantchemical.

The compartmentalization of the material 16 results in fire-resistantintegrity for the mattress 10 in much the same way that watertight doorsprovide watertight integrity in the event of flooding in a ship. Thatis, by containing the flooding within a specific compartment, thecomplete flooding of the ship is prevented, thereby increasing thechances of saving the entire ship. In the inventive mattress 10, fire iscontained within the compartment 20 between the fire-resistant layers14, 18 even in the event of the fire breaching one of the layers.

As shown in FIG. 2, the use of a first fire-resistant layer of material14 located further inboard of the outer layer 22 of the inventivemattress 10 and closer to the inner support compartment 12 than thesecond fire-resistant layer 18, provides an additional layer of fireprotection, thereby slowing the advance of the fire and allowingadditional time for an individual to escape the room or building inwhich the mattress is located.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 show one embodiment of the inventive mattress 10in which at least one layer of material 16 is located between a firstand second layer of fire-resistant material 14, 18 that are positionedon one side 13 of the inner support compartment 12. This type ofmattress 10 is known as a single-sided mattress, as the top side of theinner support compartment 12 is built up with thicker upholsterymaterial than the bottom or second side. In such a single-sidedmattress, the side of inner support compartment 12 opposite of thesleeping side may be covered with one or more upholstery layers;however, it is not designed to be a sleeping surface. Of course,additional layers of materials 23, such as foam, quilt, and upholsterytopper layers may be included between the layers of fire-resistantmaterial 14, 18, as shown in FIG. 4, without departing from the scopeand spirit of the invention.

When in use, should a fire start on the top of the mattress 10 shown inFIGS. 2-9, the flame will readily penetrate the outer layer of quilt orticking 22, as well as any other sacrificial combustible material (e.g.,25 in FIGS. 4 and 6). Once the flame reaches the second layer offire-resistant material 18, however, its rate of penetration will beslowed, if not completely stopped.

The layers of fire-resistant material 14, 18 used in the mattress 10 canbe manufactured as a barrier sheet or a high loft batt. The layers 14,18 may be made of blends of synthetic or natural fibers. Suchfire-resistant layers 14, 18 are manufactured by several companiesincluding, but not limited to, Basofil Fibers, LLC, Leggett & Platt, andJones Fiber.

Should the second layer of fire-resistant material 18 be breached as aresult of a tear in the fire-resistant layer, a flaw in the material, orany other reason, the fire will then spread through the layer(s) ofmaterial 16 immediately beneath the second fire-resistant layer 18. Thefire will continue to advance in a controlled manner until it reachesthe first layer of fire-resistant material 14 where it will once againbe slowed, thereby delaying the involvement of the entire mattress 10.

This additional barrier of protection resulting from the first (i.e.,inner) layer of fire-resistant material 14 helps contain the fire withinthe compartment 20 bordered by the two layers of fire-resistant material14, 18. This compartmentalization of the fire slows or prevents themattress 10 from being completely engulfed by fire, thereby increasingthe length of time an occupant in the room or building housing themattress has to flee to safety.

Although not 100% foolproof, the extra protection offered by the first(i.e., inner) layer of fire-resistant material 14 helps reduce theamount of heat generated by the fire, thereby allowing the mattress toburn for 30 minutes without exceeding 200 kW.

The inner support compartment 12 of the inventive mattress may be filledwith any suitable material known in the art, including springs, air,water, foam or fiber. FIGS. 2-5, 8 and 9 show an inner supportcompartment 12 filled with springs 24, while FIGS. 6 and 7 show thecompartment 12 filled with foam, fiber or other material 26. A layer ofmaterial 23 may also be located adjacent to the second layer offire-resistant material 18 either distal or proximal to the at least onelayer of cushioning material 16, as is shown in FIGS. 4-7. Thecushioning material 16 may also be made of any suitable material,including foam and/or fiber.

In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 3, at least oneupholstery layer 30 is adjacent to the at least one side 13 of the innersupport compartment 12 and the first layer of fire-resistant material 14is adjacent to the at least one upholstery layer 30, but distal to theat least one side 13 of the inner support compartment 12. This allowsfor one or more layers of material 30 to be located between the innersupport compartment 12 and the first layer of fire-resistant material14. The inner support compartment 12 may also have a perimeter 11 thatis surrounded by a layer of fire-retardant material 38, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 7.

In still another embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7,the inner support compartment 12 has a second side 15 opposite the atleast one side 13. A third layer of fire-resistant material 32 islocated adjacent to the second side 15 of the inner support compartment12, at least one layer of material 34 is adjacent to the third layer offire-resistant material 32, and a fourth layer of fire-resistantmaterial 36 is adjacent to the at least one layer of material 34 distalfrom the third layer of fire-resistant material 32. This type ofmattress 10 is known as a double-sided mattress as cushioning materialis located on both sides of the inner support compartment 12.

The compartmentalization of the at least one layer of material 34 on thesecond side 15 of the inner support compartment 12 works in the same wayas does the compartmentalization on the first side 13. That is, thethird and fourth layers of fire-resistant material 32, 36 act to containany fire in the area between them, much in the same manner that twowatertight doors contain flooding within a particular compartment on aship. As with the single-sided mattress, the at least one layer ofmaterial 34 located between the third and fourth layers offire-resistant material 32, 36 may be made of a combustible materialand/or a cushioning material including, but not limited to, foam. Thelayer 34 may also be made of a combustible material that has beentreated with a fire-resistant chemical.

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the invention wherein themattress 10 has an inner support compartment 12, a fire-resistantinsulation layer 14 having a first side and a second side positioned sothat the first side is adjacent to at least one side of the innersupport compartment 12, a first layer of material 16 is adjacent to thesecond side of the first fire-resistant layer 14, a quilt backing layer42, having a first side and a second side, is positioned so that thefirst side of the quilt backing layer 42 is adjacent to the first layerof material 16, yet distal from the first fire-resistant layer 14, asecond layer of material 44 is adjacent to the second side of the quiltbacking layer 42, a second fire-resistant insulation layer 18 is locatedadjacent to the second layer of material 44 and distal from the quiltlayer 42, and an outer layer 46, such as a ticking layer, is adjacent tothe second fire-resistant layer 18. Again, this arrangement of buildingup the mattress using a first and second layer of fire-resistantmaterial 14, 18 to establish a compartment 20 in which bedding material16, 42, 44 is located helps reduce the fire growth of the mattress.

FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment of the invention wherein themattress 10 includes at least one additional layer of material 48secured to a top layer 50 of the mattress 10. In this embodiment, knownas a pillow-top or Euro-top mattress, the at least one additional layerof combustible material 48 is joined to the top layer 50 inboard of theperimeter of the mattress 10. This creates a void or “smile” 52 betweenthe top layer 50 of the mattress 10 and the at least one additionallayer 48. An additional layer of fire-resistant material 28 extendsalong the length of the mattress 10 adjacent to the at least oneadditional layer 48. At least one layer of material 16 is located nextto the additional layer of fire-resistant material 28, proximal to theinner support compartment 12. A first layer of fire-resistant material14 is located inboard of the at least one layer of combustible material16 between the combustible material 16 and the inner support compartment12, while a second layer of fire-resistant material 18 is locatedbetween the two layers of combustible material 16.

The invention also includes a method for manufacturing a fire-resistantmattress. This method of manufacturing involves the steps of: (a)providing an inner support compartment; (b) placing a first layer offire-resistant material on a first side of the inner supportcompartment; (c) positioning at least one layer of combustible materialadjacent to the first fire-resistant layer of material; (d) aligning asecond layer of fire-resistant material on the at least one layer ofcombustible material distal to the first layer of fire-resistantmaterial; and (e) placing a second layer of sacrificial combustiblematerial outboard of the second layer of fire-resistant material distalto the inner support compartment. These materials may be independent orcontained in a quilt.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended toserve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separatevalue falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, andeach separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose alimitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Nolanguage in the specification should be construed as indicating anynon-claimed element as essential of the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Itshould be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplaryonly, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.

1. (canceled)
 2. A fire-retardant mattress having at least one sleepingside, comprising: an inner support compartment surface opposite thesleeping side; and a fire-containing compartment covering the innersupport compartment surface and located between the sleeping side andthe inner support compartment, the fire-containing compartment includingfirst and second layers of fire-resistant material and at least onecushioning layer of combustible foam or fiber material located betweenthe first and second layers of fire-resistant material.
 3. Thefire-retardant mattress of claim 2, wherein the inner supportcompartment is filled with a material selected from the group consistingof springs, air, water, fiber and foam.
 4. The fire-retardant mattressof claim 2, wherein the first layer of fire-resistant material is atleast one of a barrier sheet and a high loft batt.
 5. The fire-retardantmattress of claim 2, wherein the second layer of fire-resistant materialis at least one of a barrier sheet and a high loft batt.
 6. Afire-retardant mattress having at least one sleeping side, comprising:an inner support compartment opposite the sleeping side; afire-containing compartment covering the inner support compartment andlocated between the sleeping side and the inner support compartment, thefire-containing compartment including first and second fire-resistantlayers, the first fire-resistant layer being in direct contact with atop side of the inner support compartment; and a combustible cushioninglayer located between and in direct contact with the first and secondfire-resistant layers.
 7. The fire-retardant mattress of claim 6,wherein the cushioning layer is made of foam.
 8. The fire-retardantmattress of claim 6, wherein the inner support compartment is filledwith a material selected from the group consisting of springs, air,water, fiber and foam.
 9. The fire-retardant mattress of claim 6,wherein the first and second fire-resistant layers are at least one of abarrier sheet and a high loft batt.